A known sliding guide can be used in arm supports which, for instance, may be provided between two front seats in vehicles, such as passenger cars, in order to provide an adjustable arm support for a driver and/or for a passenger in the vehicle. This may be desirable from an ergonomic viewpoint, so that, for instance depending on the position of the seat and the size of the driver, a desired support of the body can be achieved, which is conducive to seating comfort.
Such a sliding guide can for instance comprise a first profile and a second profile, which are slidably connected with each other via respective connecting longitudinal edges in longitudinal direction provided on both sides of the profiles. The sliding guide further comprises fastening means. One of the profiles can be fastened therewith onto the console, and the other profile can be fastened therewith to a bottom surface of an arm support placed on the console and to be adjusted.
The known sliding guide is arranged to transmit force from the arm support to the console for instance situated between the two front seats of a vehicle. The sliding guide further comprises bearing means provided with a ball bearing cage near both connecting longitudinal edges for guiding the first profile relative to the second profile in the longitudinal direction thereof. The bearing means are placed between the first and the second profile, while the first profile is also movable in the longitudinal direction relative to the bearing means. Further, for the purpose of providing the frictional resistance, the sliding guide provides friction means which are provided between the first profile and the second profile. The friction means comprise a rotation damper which is fastened to a side of the profile central surface of the first profile that faces the second profile. Placed on the profile central surface of the second profile situated opposite thereto is a tooth rack extending in the longitudinal direction of the profile, which engages the rotation damper. The bearing means and the friction means are situated in an internal space between the first and the second profile.
This known sliding guide comprises relatively many parts and is particularly complicated in construction and difficult to mount. Due to the amount of parts and the complicated construction, it is not possible to add any additional parts, for instance depending on the manner of fastening of the sliding guide on a surface, depending on the wishes of a user or, for instance, depending on safety requirements for a particular application of the sliding guide.
EP1733916 describes an arm support provided with a guide for sliding the arm support, with a first profile sliding relative to a second profile, with interposition of moving bearing means and friction means. A separate provision is arranged to avoid play. A comparable device is known from JP2005021289.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,155 describes a central console for a car, provided with a slidable arm support with an anti-rattle guide assembly. In this device a first profile is retained in a manner slidable in a first direction in a sliding guide formed on a second profile. On the second profile, to that end, at least a first wedge-shaped block is provided, from which a surface of the first profile that inclines with respect to the first direction faces away. A second wedge-shaped block has been laid by an inclined surface thereof against said inclined surface of the first block and is pressed-on by a spring. The blocks are confined between the first profile and a partition extending parallel thereto. The first block can move in a second direction, at right angles to the first direction, while the second block can move parallel to the first direction. The spring continuously acts in the first direction, and hence continuously exerts a force on the second block, parallel to the first direction. The first block and an opposite part of the guide, together with the first profile, form a sliding guide. In a first embodiment, on opposite sides of the first profile a first and a second block are provided, in a second embodiment on just one side two first and two second blocks are provided, with the spring extending between the two blocks, parallel to the first direction. A disadvantage of this known device is that it is complicated in construction, comprises many parts and needs to be tuned accurately. A further disadvantage of this known device is that the spring acts parallel to the first direction and presses on the first block only indirectly. A further disadvantage is that the use of the wedge-shaped blocks and the guide of the or each first block can entail the possibility of the or each first block tilting to some extent about an axis at right angles to the first direction and to the second profile, so that a first end of the block will be pressed more strongly against the first profile than an opposite second end, for instance through friction between the block and the first profile, so that the first profile can be displaced no longer or only with high force. This can occur especially in case of soiling or high frictional resistance between the block and the first profile and in case of wear or inaccuracies of the guide of the or a first block or second block. A still further disadvantage of this known device is that when a guiding surface of the first profile is not entirely straight or the guide surfaces of the first profile do not extend entirely parallel to each other, the or each first block will have difficulty following this because to that end the second block needs to be pushed away, against the spring action, with the aid of the inclined surfaces, which results in an unwanted force transmission.